A very interesting comparison between the witch trials of Salem's past and present day bullying. Especially in terms of group silence perpetuating the hate and trauma. Samantha is tasked with breaking the pattern started when the accusations of witchcraft began, which clings to all those descended by the original participants in the trials (accused and accuser alike). But, how can she stop gossip and hate before it consumes? How can she ease people's fear before it causes mob mentality and mayhem? What Samantha experiences creates empathy for her character. I was so angry for her and continuously felt upset when she kept blaming herself. She hides herself behind sarcasm and anger. She also has a lot of flipping back and forth between emotions in a short span of time. Or saying she will not put someone in harms way, then immediately going to them for help. It became a bit confusing in that regard. However, I liked her character, her honesty, her care, her determination to save everyone, even those who were awful to her. Her sincerity is what eventually helps where others may have failed. I was not a big fan of the boy next door versus the ghost love triangle. In general, I dislike that trope in any form. I find them unbelievable and sort of lazy writing (especially when both boys seem to fall immediately in love with our sarcastic damsel in distress). Having Samantha torn between the boy of now and the ghost from the past did not add much to the story and was quite annoying at times, their contribution was that both could provide her with things but I did not feel more of a connection (the ghost was used to go in and out and grab impossible things for her). I believe it would have been better if there was an honest friendship between Sam and one or both of these young men, as opposed to romance. Especially when Samantha has so many trust issues regarding friendship. I really liked the framework of this story. The back and forth of events pertaining to past and present. The parallels between Sam's bullying and the accusations in Salem. How quickly the popular Descendants could spoil the whole school's perspective of Sam. Sam trying to be nice and make friends only seeming to blow up in her face or make the situation worse. All the adults also following along with the bullying and pushing for other adult authorities to take action against Sam. No one coming to her aid or willing to listen to her side of the situation. It was so heart breaking. There was a lot of history laced throughout the book and the descriptions of Salem sucked me in and had me feeling as though I was walking down the cobbled streets. While some of the book was rather predictable, there were many unexpected twists and turns that were woven well into the narrative. A good read for those looking for a book full of witchy vibes.
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